The Man Who Never Looked Away novel Chapter 377

377 /387

Furious, Lavinia pounded her fists against his shoulders, shouting indignantly, "What's so funny?! Am I really that hilarious? Do I have zero sex appeal to you?!"

Slowly, his shoulders stopped shaking. He lifted his head, a lingering smile playing on his lips, but his eyes had darkened with something entirely different—something intense and laser-focused.

He reached out, brushing the stray hairs from her forehead, his thumb tracing the delicate curve of her eye.

"You're not funny. You're just so unbelievably cute, it made me completely forget what I was doing," he murmured, his voice incredibly rough and low.

She blinked up at him.

He stared down into her wide eyes. She clearly had no idea what she was doing; she was just running entirely on pure affection for him.

He settled on the bed beside her, pulling her close, pressing his lips right against the shell of her ear. "Ever since I was a kid, I've had this habit," he whispered softly. "I always save my favorite candy for last."

The hot breath against her neck tickled, and she instinctively shrank back a little.

His hand traced lightly over her, like a blind man reading braille, slowly mapping the delicate lace beneath the fabric of her uniform.

"What color is it?" he asked hoarsely.

She clamped her mouth shut. He nuzzled closer, letting his lips drag along her jaw as he persistently asked again.

Finally, in a voice no louder than a mosquito's hum, she confessed, "Light blue."

He gave a slow, lazy smile, looking every bit the wicked aristocrat.

The perfectly composed gentleman of the daylight hours was wonderful, but this nocturnal version belonged entirely to her.

A faint thump echoed from the next room, signaling that Saul was probably awake.

"He might need some water. Let me go check on him." Charley pressed a firm kiss to her forehead. "Go to sleep. I'll take care of Saul tonight. He'll be fine."

She pulled the blanket up over the bottom half of her face, leaving only her eyes visible as she watched him.

Only after his broad silhouette disappeared through the door did she finally let out a long exhale.

This feeling of liking him was so completely different from the nerve-wracking anxiety of her past crushes. With him, she felt an absolute sense of security.